Brother despite Darkness

[Liam Jones]

Emma Swan

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Not remembering everything bothered him, then again he didn’t exactly feel 300 years old, thanks to spending centuries in the clutches of some mythical creature. The thing that made him different from the rest of the people having to deal with Emma Swan being the Dark One, was that experience and frankly having raised someone alone for most of his life. He knew his brother was struggling with the situation, he couldn’t blame him. And while he naturally joined him in Grannys, it was to his own surprise, that he had to find out that he didn’t sit with Emmas family and they were perfectly fine. It felt like a stab to his own heart, because he felt for his brother and his brother fought very hard to be worthy of Emma. And he felt for Emma, because this was too normal. They weren’t acting like they had lost their daughter to darkness just two days ago according to their knowledge. 

Knowing Belle would be there for Killian, Liam made his way to the Dark Ones lair, carrying take out for her. It might be a desperate attempt, but what else could he do? He had no magic, he was batshit scared of the element that was once his home, thanks to the Leviathan. But he could protect his brother and the woman he by now viewed as a sister through the relationship she had with Killian. He found her door alone – made sense, who would be stupid enough to steal from the most powerful dark and light magic wielder in town? Only a stupid idiot. Entering, Liam immediately made his presence known to her, should she be there. If not, he’d set up the take out and await her. 

“Emma? It’s Liam. I brought take out. Grilled Cheese. I thought you might like some company.”

[Deleted]

Emma was currently in the basement of the house she had..acquired. The lair of the Dark Swan...the place that held Excalibur. As usual, the image of Rumpelstiltskin was taunting her, and telling her that she needed a hero to pull the sword from the stone..that way, she could complete the sword with the dagger. However, finding a hero was a little difficult in this town. Everyone was so fake.. Everyone that was, aside from Rumple himself. He had a clean slate, and Emma had a plan formulating in her wicked mind. A plan that she was still working on for right now, so that way she could pull it off without a hitch. She hated hang-ups, and she knew that Belle and Killian would make it difficult. 

During her plotting of doom, she heard someone coming in, and calling to her. It was Liam. Ah...Killian's brother. He treated her as though she were a sister to him, and maybe if Killian would have played his cards right, it would have happened. However, he was being less than well receiving to  Emma's new niche, so it was making her a little bit cranky. Despite what he had said to her, she knew that deep down, he was in love with her.. but it still angered her. Rumplestiltskin had Belle who could see the light in him despite everything.. but Killian was trying to hold a blind eye.

Emma appeared behind Liam in a cloud of purple smoke. She had made sure that the lock of the door was enchanted to be locked. "So thoughtful," she mused with a soft tone before she sauntered around to face Liam. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and she gave him a small smile. "How did you know that I was lonely?" Now, as the Dark One, Emma found that she enjoyed using her feminine wiles in ways she hadn't thought of before. Normally, she wouldn't see Liam in the sort of light that one would see a lover.. But Emma scorned was one to be trifled with. 

[Liam Jones]

Ever since Leviathan interfered in his life, held him captive for centuries, Liam was easier spooked. He thought the opposite might have happened, but it turned out, now, free of the monster, he felt more spooked than ever and so Emmas sudden appearance behind her made him jump. He was lucky he didn’t drop the food. “Emma! Be careful, I’m an old man!” He was. Centuries old. But in reality, he wanted this to be easy, he wanted her to really know he meant no harm, no judgment, just company and that included him simply making fun of himself and his age, which was quite ancient. “And I died before, Ems, careful, I might drop dead at your feet and stink up the pretty new house.” Not that he really thought that. A simple stunt like that, did not kill him yet. Nor was there any indication towards her being capable of killing someone. Liam turned to her, smiling just as softly as she did, before throwing caution to the wind and pulling her into an embrace. 

“I took a guess.” He explained, when he let her go. “I saw your family in the dinner and Killian. That meant nobody was with you, logically. I… I couldn’t bloody well sit by and pretend like there wasn’t someone missing.” As if it was a free invitation the former captain walked to the table and started to unpack the food. “You know, there is so much talk of you being evil, yet they don’t stop for a second to notice that so far you haven’t done anything in that direction. And in any case, you’re still Emma. You’d hold on to any of us, be there for any of us, so time someone returns the favor, even though it’s a bloody shame it’s not your parents.” Pulling out these weird onion rings, he grinned. “Speaking of: Next time I’m at the diner, I’m going to punch all six dwarves in the face.”

Emma Swan

[Deleted]

Emma grinned when Liam mused that he was an old man, and that if she wasn't careful, he'd drop dead on the floor. Emma found herself wanting to make a comment about how she was in to older men, but she bit her tongue for now. She was honestly quite in shock to see him. "So where are Killian and Elizabeth?" She asked, but answered before Liam could say anything. "Let me guess.. Killian is at the diner.. with all of my friends and family... and his new bestie Belle French.." There was something in  her voice. A sense of coldness that she hadn't had before. Could it have been jealousy? 

He told her why he had come to bring her dinner, and he explained how he felt. Even though he had embraced the darkness, this was something that almost made her feel warm for a moment. Parts of her heart that weren't blackened, had wanted to hear this from everyone she cared about. However, everyone was either trying to change her, or trying to shun her. She knew that her expression must have softened for a moment, but soon it was unreadable once more. "Those dwarves always got on my nerves," she breathed. It wasn't entirely the truth, but for the dark swan, it seemed like an appropriate thing to say at the time.  She eyed up the onion rings on the table, and picked one up, taking a bite out of it. 

"You're not going to get me to change, Liam." She said simply. His kindness confused her darkened heart, and she truly didn't know how to deal with it. She wanted to be wicked...to seduce him just to make his brother angry. But he had nothing to do with this. He was a victim of life, and it wasn't his fault that he was around for this. "You should take this food home, to Elizabeth. Go, before I do something that I won't regret, but you will." 


Liam Jones

[Liam Jones]

“With Robin, drinking himself to oblivion.” Liam pointed out. Killian was wrecked from whatever transpired between him and Emma that day. The older Jones had no idea what that was, though. And he would not ask her. This was to be an evening for the two of them. In all this chaos, in this pain this caused, Liam wanted Emma, the Emma he knew was still in there, to know he cared. While others wanted her, only her, he would be there for her through it all, through every gruesome moment and heartache and pain, through the hardships. There was no other way for him. He had endured so long with a monster to hold him captive, he knew what it felt like. He knew how he longed for company, even though the monster surrounding him was deadly. He had longed for company, for anyone to see behind the monster and see him, not even Killian had managed that. 

“I’m not.” Liam simply replied to her statement of him not getting her to change. He knew that. The Dark One was powerful, it took a lot more than a mere mortal armed with kindness to get rid of it. But he could be there for her. “Elizabeth is doing fine, Emma. I want to spend the evening with you, if you’ll have me. If you’d rather not be in my company, so be it.” But he wanted this and he hoped Emma would accept his company. “Look, Emma, I don’t want you to change. You’re the Dark One now, but you’re still Emma. And I happen to consider you my friend. I want to be there for you. I… when the Leviathan had me, I was lonely. There was a monster surrounding me as well as magic, but I was lonely. And I don’t want you to be. You don't deserve to be left all alone now after all you did for them..”

Emma Swan

[Deleted]

Although she wouldn't admit it, Emma was pleased to hear that he wasn't with Belle. She found herself being jealous on top of everything, and that probably wasn't a good thing. Being the dark one, along with being overcome with jealousy, was a pretty horrible  mix. "I'm surprised Robin isn't with Regina. Then again... I guess she is awfully busy these days, what with being the Savior and all.." she mused in a cold tone. There were so many emotions that Emma was trying to cover up, that she hardly even knew what she felt for real anymore. She could tell that Liam wasn't going anywhere, and so, she decided to humor him. Or maybe, deep down, she really enjoyed the company. 

He spoke of how he didn't want her to change, where everyone else - aside from her father - was constantly on her to dig deep down for the 'real' Emma. But Liam was different..and this made her feel the urge to test his boundaries. "Is that so?" She asked simply. She waved her  hand, and suddenly everything on the table looked different. It looked nice, not unlike the spread that Emma had set up for herself and Killian. However, she was still dressed in her leather Dark Swan get-up. "Well then, if that's the case, than I do wish to have your company." She sat down on a chair, and crossed one leg over the other. She suddenly heard another voice, it was the vision of Rumple as the Dark One, standing behind Liam. 

"It's only a trick, dearie.. and you know it as well as I do! Using a pity story... trying to compare his situation to yours.. Then again, maybe he can be just the hero you need to pull that sword from the stone!" 


Emma closed her eyes for a moment. "Stop," she muttered before slowly opening her eyes and looking at Liam once more. "Not you." she mused. "Him." 



Liam Jones

[Liam Jones]

“The savior… yeah right.” This was one of the many things Liam rightfully disagreed with the others, especially those damn dwarves. He found it shocking how fast their loyalties changed from Emma to the damn Evil Queen this fast. Emma hadn’t even done anything, at least nothing they could prove was hers. Apart from maybe take something, but hell, Regina had done worse, Gold had done worse, but they already condemned her. And Liam really wanted to make them scrub a deck, if he wasn’t so damn scared to ever go on one again. In any way he had lost all respect for them and he’d be sure never to put his trust in this bunch.

“Handy.” Liam commented as she used magic to set up the table. It was. She could do that with light magic, too, he suspected, but he’d not ask that. In any case he could bet she’d use this particular new trick later as well. And if not, there was no loss. He didn’t care what Emma there was, as long as she loved his brother, he was on her side, for good. Something, one might call it a hunch, told him he would stay on her side through this all.

“He’s as annoying as he is in reality, isn’t he?” Liam asked as he took a seat at the table with Emma. He smiled at her. “I’m pretty sure you can make your own decisions, he can bugger off. As far as I know you’re perfectly capable of taking care of things all by yourself. You wouldn’t be the savior if you weren’t.” Maybe it was a bit of a late statement, but yes, he still considered her the savior. The title did not just transfer to Regina of all people. “And in any case, I don’t think we need his company for a casual dinner between friends and maybe later some… DVV?”

Emma Swan

[Deleted]

Not much could make Emma smile these days - for real - but the comment from Liam made her lips curve in to a small smirk. She knew he didn't seem to really like Regina much, and normally she would have been on Regina's side, but after embracing darkness she found it hard to see redeeming qualities in many people in Storybrooke. She decided to drop the subject for now. It was a conversation about someone she didn't currently want to have. "Anyway.. it was kind of you to bring dinner. Since we all know that i'm not entirely....welcome at Granny's currently." Even though her voice was nonchalant and filled with a lack of concern, there was still something in her eyes - if Liam looked close enough - that said she was hurt about it. 

"I have quite a few handy little tricks now," she mused, still attempting to tune out the image that went along with the Dark One. She was glad Liam had caught on to who she was talking about. It made things much easier. "...You have no idea," she muttered, responding to his comment about the annoyance that the vision of Rumple brought with him. Liam told her to tell him to 'bugger off'. She just loved that phrase.. and honestly? She'd been wanting to tell him many different ways to bugger off since she first started seeing him. "I wish I could. He's not going anywhere." Emma would tell everyone that she had fully embraced the darkness..and yet, if she had, he wouldn't be there, now would he? But no one quite got that. No one, but perhaps Liam. Why? Because he wasn't obsessed with trying to find the 'real' Emma.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Some savior. I'm the dark one, remember?  You can't have both at once, dearie." She spoke in a relatively mocking tone. One, to test Liam's limits, and two, to mock the vision of Rumple that was, well, pretty much everywhere. Liam had made a comment about a 'DVV'. Was that...code for something? "I'm guessing that's supposed to be something else..." She quirked a brow. She remembered how Killian referred to things when he first got to the world without magic. "I don't see you as being much of a video game person, so i'm guessing some sort of movie..." 


Liam Jones